.....depends on your sensitivities, I guess. Funny just the same. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) have cast votes as members of the 112th Congress without being officially sworn-in, a violation of the United States Constitution. Both Republican congressmen failed to attend the swearing-in at the House chamber Wednesday because they were at the Capitol Visitors Center. They reportedly tried to take their oath while watching the swearing-in on television. Under the Constitution, which was read by on the House floor by Rep. Fitzpatrick and other Republicans Thursday, members of Congress must be sworn-in before conducting official business. After discovering that Sessions had not been sworn-in, House Rules Chairman David Dreier (R-CA) was forced to adjourn a Rules Committee hearing on a Republican health care repeal bill Thursday. Rep. Sessions and Rep. Fitzpatrick both voted eight times in the 112th Congress without being sworn-in, according to Roll Call. Under parliamentary procedures, those votes do not count. "During the swearing in of the 112th Congress, Congressman Sessions stated the oath publicly in the Capitol but was not on the House floor," Emily Davis, a spokeswoman for Sessions, said. "To ensure that all constitutional and House requirements are fulfilled, Congressman Sessions officially took the oath of office this afternoon from the House floor. Public records and votes will be adjusted accordingly." Rep. Fitzpatrick was also re-administered the oath of office by House Speaker John Boehner Thursday afternoon. Rep. Boehner is seeking to convince Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to agree to a unanimous consent decree that would allow the unofficial votes cast by Sessions and Fitzpatrick to count retroactively. It is unknown whether Democrats will agree to let a unanimous consent agreement go forward. "Despite the fact that they read the Constitution today, they should have read it yesterday, actually," a senior Democratic aide told Roll Call. "I guess swearing in their Members wasn't part of their pledge." In a year when Republicans have promised to reduce wasteful spending, it was estimated that reciting the Constitution on the House floor cost taxpayers nearly $1.1 million. Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said on Tuesday that his party plans to cut $100 billion in spending this year. GOP leadership has said cuts to the US defense budget are out of the question, making key safety-net programs like Medicare, food stamps and Social Security the sole target of their legislative agenda. Along with cutting spending, Republicans have promised to scrap "job-killing" health care laws, crack down on illegal immigration, cut diplomatic and foreign aid funds, and investigate the Obama administration. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated a repeal of Obama's health reform laws would cost the US $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years. Though Republicans said they will reduce spending by requiring cost-saving measures for all new fund outlays, they exempted a potential repeal of health care reform from the rule.
i found it kinda funny myself... but of all the unconstitutional things that have gone on lately, I'm not sure this even makes the list... a minor procedural violation that the left is gonna run to town with... they'll get about a weeks worth of mileage out of it...
probably true... but i'd bet fox picked up on it and reported it... just wouldn't make the mainstream and if it did it would be poo-poo'd as a minor violation that really doesn't mean squat... honest question, would the outcome of the votes been any different had they not voted??
Truely wish both sides of the isle would just get over all the bs and do what is right for our country. Plenty of blame to go around, but that doesnt get anything done.
I am 100% with you right there but I think it is just a pipe dream in this day and age. Doesn't seem to matter who is in charge, we the (little) people, pay the price.
that's the problem, the people have different ideology than the politicians... left or right it doesn't matter they are both steering us into oblivion cuz the pols only care about getting elected yet again instead of actually doing the right thing for the USA...
Thats why we need term limits. Get back to doing what is right and quit worrying about re-election. Serve your time, do the work of the people, and then get back to the private sector. No golden parachute for doing the job. Just serve, and move on. It was NEVER meant to be a profession.
Well I'm just a good old American and think it's a dam shame when your elected to do one of the most important jobs in the country, and your sorry ass cant find the time to get sworn in. Maybe if they had read the constitution the day befor their dumb ass would have known, they had to be sworn in on the floor for their vote to count! I find it funny that soon as they got done reading it, they started trying to change it!
You make up this Bull Crap, and then want to try and play off the truth as a joke on me ? Get real! The liberal news had nothing to do with 2 dumb asses in the republican party not showing up on the floor to be sworn in. Honest! There are plenty of dumb asses in the Democratic party, they just managed not to shine like the 2 republicans yesterday, well 3 yesterday, they removed on from the floor and fined them for being out of line on her ignorant burther comments.
ZOMG!!!!!! did it change any of the votes had they not voted?? nope? ya, dems making a MUCH bigger deal of this than it really is... mountains outta mole hills bro... but thanks for making my point for me.
Koolaid get your Koolaid ........ are government is so Broken both sides will do anything to keep the status-quo going
Sliv I'm sorry.....I just never thought I'd hear a democrat utter those words. Then again, I suppose the dems could always claim they never read it.
